Longtime Willmar, Minn., councilman calls council, mayor’s questioning of staff demeaning
September 13, 2012 at 7:00 pm in West Central Tribune
WILLMAR Longtime Willmar City Council member Doug Reese says continual questioning by council members and Mayor Frank Yanish of decisions and recommendations made by City Administrator Charlene Stevens and department heads is demeaning.
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Again this is inner city squabbling that will sooner or later will fix itself especially with a new mayor. I realize there was oppostion to the Westwind project, but if rural Mn is going to benefit off of government funded projects like this, they should be undertaken, and should be monitored when tenants begin to occupy them. As history has shown us, some of the affordable housing or section 8 has been prone to vandalism, and unqualified tenants that have damaged the property, causing trouble for other tennants, while inviting friends and family to move in violating their rental agreements. Some homeowners were plenty mad about ths area being choosen claiming it brings down property values. On the other hand the housing market has been slow recovering, and some homes were already under water. Still a homeowners investment is at stake and there is always fear of the unknown. Lets hope that the disagreements between officials can iron themselves out for the sake of the city.
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I couldn’t agree more. Has anyone watched the council meetings lately? Talk about no vision followed with mumbles and whispers. Doesn’t surprise me in the least that the goofs treat an intelligent female in such a way. Who would want to work with a bunch of troglodytes? I suppose the city council brain-trust could just start hiring unqualified buddies and relatives to fill those positions (think of the money we’ll save!) and ignore everything they can’t wrap their collective little heads around. It’s embarrassing to watch them bungle everything handed to them.
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i am glad that there are a few that question spending/hiring practices and actually seem interested in where the tax dollars go. making absolutly sure that spending is neccesary before doing it does not seem disrepectful to me…it seems responsible.
what is disrepectful is wasting our tax dollars that we all work hard for.
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Yes, a few questions, but this seems more like the Spanish Inquisition. Some council members, it appears, won’t believe the facts because they are blinded by some notion that THEY have all the answers. Now it will cost the Willmar taxpayers at least $28,044 more next year when public work is privatized. Lets not forget the Mayor’s proposed budget, cutting services while giving himself and the coucil nice raises.
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There is a lot of experience on this Council, there really is only one member who is in a first term, as other recently elected member had served many years prior. This issue isn’t so much a lack of understanding, but what appears to many as a desire to micro-manage, and in some cases, have conflict of issue when being involved in decisions.
Mr. Reese is a very good Councilman, and we are going to miss his approach at the table. There needs to be more common sense brought to decision making, and less partisan politics. Our Council is a non-partisan one, (at least in theory) yet we have members who for the past several years have shown some partisan actions in their decision making and in other public displays.
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From reading the article, I didn’t get the impression he was saying not to ask questions. He seemed to be saying people should be respectful and actually ask a question not make a demeaning statements. Many times these people could pick up the phone and ask a question after seeing the agenda or hearing about an issue instead of trying to use a public meeting as an educational experience or a stage to promote themselves and their personal agenda. The time to check out people’s education, training, credentials (licensure, etc) and experience is BEFORE hiring them.
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There are also areas where these people look to attempt to belittle employees to meet their agenda. Their agenda is not always for the betterment of Willmar but for themselves. As for litigation against Willmar, what is someone to do when Willmar illegally attempts to break contracts of good faith.
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You are right on, Doug. It isn’t the questions asked, it is the whole manner of incivility and disrespect for staff and the public that is pervasive.. It creates a whole mood of negativity.. Unfortunately, the whole Council is painted with the same brush. The people of Willmar deserve better and when we finally decide that we won’t put up with it, positive change will happen.
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In a time when unemployment is high, the economy is sluggish, and people are cutting back in their own lives, people should be questioning everything the government does. Why is it the individual family must make cuts in what they do, yet one must not even question government. If government would show some type of self restraint, the citizens would not look at government with such skepticism.
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I think it’s obvious and expected that discourse among Council, City Staff and the Mayor should ALWAYS be polite, civil and discussion should be respectful. That is not my argument.
My argument was simply the “tone”, that the article gives, that people should just be trusted and not questioned. I don’t for one second agree to that notion and I don’t expect the average citizen and tax payer to buy into that either. When a city is spending our tax dollars, we want questions asked, again, regardless of how comfortable it makes people. It doesn’t have anything to do with being rude or demeaning…it’s just common sense fiscal responsibility. I will say it loud and clear for those who aren’t understanding me…if people on the council ARE being rude, then that should change, but the questions should continue. We should know where every dime is being spent.
Is anyone aware of how much money was wasted on the new airport because nobody asked questions?!? NO, because nobody asked! THAT is my point. That was the old way of doing things when we apparently had money to waste…it cannot continue.
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City adminstration should be held accountable, and per law most of this MUST be done in the public view and for good reason. A good example of mismanagement was when the administration failed to get the necessary permitting for mosquito spraying for months, well past when they were already a problem.
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Andrew if you are correct and city employees should be held accountable in the public view, then you have just implicated a couple of sitting Council members in failing to do that very thing when dealing with the dismissal of the former head of WMU. Those meetings were held behind closed doors, with people who should not have been in the room, including one Council member who at meeting stated publicly that he was there as a private citizen, yet when the committee went into closed session he, as a “private citizen” was allowed in the room.
This is the concern that Mr. Reese is bringing forward, that there are members of the Council who act in ways that are frankly unbecoming of an elected offical, and their approach to things is hurting not only city employees, but the city as well.
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To make government work for the good of the people the people have to be informed. Good government asks questions and puts together facts from the questioning so as to come up with a solution or the best way to handle issues, which is good government and responsible government that represents the people. I have seen in the past were some people want to dominate a meeting or believe they should not be questioned when they propose or believe they have come up with a solution. I have seen times when certain people are not well received because others don’t like that persons way of coming across, or their past dealings with other issues other then government.
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I think I can see your point here, well put Jimmy. Sounds like personality conflict and that’s unacceptable. When it comes time to run a city, if you are an elected official/city employee, check your pride at the door and get the job done. A mature group of adults should not have a problem doing this…I would hope;) That’s just my personal opinion.
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If all the city council is for, is to “rubber stamp” whatever the city administrator says, then why is the council needed at all?
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There is a time and a place to question things. But is it ever exceptable, when rules of order are not allowed, for certain Councilmen to do the proverbial ” I’m taking my ball and going home” routine. Then show up in a local beverage establishment and high five each other.
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Council members are elected by the citizens, to represent the citizen’s in city affairs. The council should be evaluateing the needs of the city, while managing the funding available. The department heads often request more employees, and larger budgets. While these are sometimes needed, it is the council along with the city administrator to determin the actual need . If council is to simply grant every request for additional funding or personal, the city funding would quickly be exhausted.
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If you recall, the last requests for personnel were to fill vacant positions. All three different positions were shown to be needed, but the Mayor said “1 or 2 not all 3″.
Was that to make room for his proposed pay increase for himself and the council?
Or was it so they could privatize 1 job for $28,000 more than hiring someone?
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But should it not be done in courteous, professional manner. Several council members like to portrait themselves as ” god”
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